10-14-2019, 09:17 PM
(10-14-2019, 01:52 AM)Kinser79 Wrote: Most roads, cops, and firemen should be handled on the local or state level. I'd go further and say the same is true of schools and universities.
The Postal Service is an enumerated responsibility of the Federal government. I'd say that regulation of interstate commerce (IE big oil) and interstate infrastructure would be the responsibility of the Federal government as well.
As for the private healthcare system being broken it seems to me that it is broken more due to governmental intervention, and more governmental intervention is unlikely to solve the problem. That being said, I would support a Medicare for All but with that comes some costs namely much higher taxes (I think tariffs would help a great deal here...but that has more to do with my economic views than my political ones). Needless to say, the solution to healthcare is to make the US system all one thing or all the other. Either it must be totally private or totally public--any hybrid system or incrementalist system will only result in a poorly functioning patchwork.
All of these things though I would say are not necessarily socialism--ie the means of production being in the hands of the state. Not even Norway or Denmark or Sweden are socialist. Yes they have vast welfare states and highly regulated markets but the means of production are in the hands of private persons.
What do the Democrats have to offer? Just take a look at the cities that they have run for decades. Look at what California is turning into. Quite frankly I can think of nothing worse than the whole of the US looking like San Francisco or Portland or hell even Chicago.
1. Certainly agree with local government handling cops,firemen, prisons, and most roads. I'd of course like to nuke private prisons since their lobbying tends to provide and incentive to jail folks for almost nothing.
2. Medicare for all would also offload medical care from the employment costs. It would also allow folks to change jobs if so desired since healthcare isn't part of that equation.
3. OK, well the Republicans need to get off this Dat's socialist for things in Norway, Sweden, etc. I've heard our Republicans in Oklahoma call these countries socialist.
4. Wrt. your examples of local governments. Hey, can't disagree. Those are examples of some sort of spoils system along with cronyism. They forgot that tax donkeys can move away along with the destructive effect of taxes being too high. It doesn't help to have sanctuaries for illegal aliens either. In fact, Illinois's taxes are so messed up, it's in a death spiral at present. They should do what Oklahoma did and do something about pensions. Obviously, California has problems with the lights staying on.... sort of like Venezuela . As for the cities you mentioned, yeah, I don't want to live in shitholes either. Typhus isn't my idea of a good time.
5. On the other side their are indeed the Red variety of shitholes as well. Alabama is a shithole because their justice system is all fucked up. Folks die in their jails at too high a rate. Our next door neighbor Kansas became a shithole from too much cost cutting. There are costs that can be cut that I'd like. I'd love to delete all tax breaks.
If some government wants to encourage something, don't use a tax break, use an appropriation so it's all out in the open and a fixed cost can be assigned. Oklahoma has some shithole tendencies due to private prisons. We need criminal justice reform bit time. The folks who designed out medical marijuana referendum made it impossible for the fucking religious right from mucking things up with their elected buddies.
---Value Added 